Marina Freixa Roca

Can oral history restore a forgotten part of our past? Can it break the silence perpetuated over generations? In 1969, seventeen-year-old Mariona was arrested and imprisoned in a reformatory governed by the Patronato de Protección a la Mujer (Women's Welfare Agency), which was dedicated to "regenerating fallen women" during the Francoist dictatorship. In 2023, Mariona and her daughter look back in an effort to piece together her story.

A home video camera observes everyday life from a balcony in Ciutat Vella. Over time, that same point of view reveals the shift from a lived-in neighborhood to a staged city, shaped by tourism, speculation, and surveillance.

Can oral history restore a forgotten part of our past? Can it break the silence perpetuated over generations? In 1969, seventeen-year-old Mariona was arrested and imprisoned in a reformatory governed by the Patronato de Protección a la Mujer (Women's Welfare Agency), which was dedicated to "regenerating fallen women" during the Francoist dictatorship. In 2023, Mariona and her daughter look back in an effort to piece together her story.

Can oral history restore a forgotten part of our past? Can it break the silence perpetuated over generations? In 1969, seventeen-year-old Mariona was arrested and imprisoned in a reformatory governed by the Patronato de Protección a la Mujer (Women's Welfare Agency), which was dedicated to "regenerating fallen women" during the Francoist dictatorship. In 2023, Mariona and her daughter look back in an effort to piece together her story.

A home video camera observes everyday life from a balcony in Ciutat Vella. Over time, that same point of view reveals the shift from a lived-in neighborhood to a staged city, shaped by tourism, speculation, and surveillance.